Backroads Across America: Carlsbad Caverns

Our hike today led us in an opposite direction – 750 feet down a steep and winding path – into the depths of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We chose the self-guided walk, beginning at what is known as The Natural Entrance, a gaping black hole where the 1.25 mile trail awaited.

An hour later, we reached an underground rest/snack area located in The Big Room, a chamber 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 feet high. Here exhausted explorers can call it a day and catch the elevator back up. For more curious folks like us, the path continued on for another 1.25 miles, allowing us to take in such sights as The Lions Tail, Hall of Giants and the incredible Bottomless Pit.

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It’s was impossible to capture just how vast the caverns are, but I did manage to snap a couple photos that illustrate the intricate detail of the numerous formations that grow in this fascinating park.